SNRE Solidarity

Many folks at the meeting mentioned that they were wondering how to raise the issue of a walk out with their undergraduate students. As our president has so rightly pointed out, winning hearts and minds IS the key to victory. GEO has created a Talking Points Sheet with some suggestions for a smoother conversation.

• Explain how the walkout will affect them (assignments, due dates, etc.). Don’t worry undergrads, nobody’s grades will suffer!
• Reassure them that you aren’t here to recruit, and they don’t have to agree with you. If they DO want to help send them out on the picket line with us!
• Explain where the 9% raise comes from: The university’s financial aid office estimates that it costs $15,980 to live in Ann Arbor for a year. The median GSI salary is $15,199. A 9% raise will meet the estimated cost of living and corrects for currently high inflation rates.
• GSI salaries are not what is causing tuition hikes. The U of M has a 7 billion dollar endowment, and many schools with smaller endowments give full rides to students with family incomes under $60,000 (Duke, Dartmouth, and Brown). U of M has a lot of money, and it can choose to support both GSIs and undergraduates. Patrick O’Mahen of the GEO organizing committee explains in this nice editorial.

We also have this form letter for you to send your students. Copy, paste and edit to taste!

Dear (Your Class Here),

Many of you have probably heard that the Graduate Employee’s Organization (GEO) may stage a walk out for next Tuesday and Wednesday (March 25th and 26th), and some of you probably have questions about how that will impact this particular class. GEO is currently renegotiating our contract with the University, but progress has been slow and many important issues, like health coverage and child care, remain unresolved. To demonstrate our commitment to making improvements in our contract, GEO has planned some job actions, including a walk out. The work stoppage will be for two days only; it’s like a symbolic strike for limited time period. One reason we think this is better than a prolonged work stoppage is because it will affect our students less. Our goal is to take a stand on salary and benefits, not to penalize our classes. We want to maximize our message to the administration, while minimizing our impact on our students.

We are very committed to undergraduate teaching, and we want to be sure your learning isn’t compromised. In this class …..

(Explain how this will affect your class in particular, (changes in due dates, assignments, etc). If you are teaching during the walk out, you can say something like “However, just because I can’t support the walk out by canceling class, doesn’t mean that you can’t. If you choose to support GEO by not crossing the picket line, then your absence will not affect your grade in this course. We appreciate all the support we can get!”)

I appreciate your understanding in this matter. It is a very difficult decision to walk out, and we don’t take it lightly. Members actually vote twice on whether or not to hold a job action! If you want more information about how contract negotiations work or about the issues on the table, I would be happy to talk with you. If you want to get involved, there are lots of ways to do that too. Thanks very much for your support, and I’ll see you in our next class.

Sincerely,

Your Name Here